Gilbert White (1720-1793)
Perpetual Curate of Selborne, Hampshire; celebrated author of The Natural History of Selborne (1789).
Personal Information
Name: Gilbert White
Date and Place of Birth: 18 July 1720, Selborne, Hampshire, England
Date and Place of Death: 26 June 1793, Selborne, Hampshire, England
Spouse: Unmarried
Church: Church of England
Highest Rank in Church: Perpetual Curate
University: Oxford, Oriel
Location Information
Main Active Place: Selborne, Hampshire, EnglandOther Significant Locations: Moreton Pinkney, Northamptonshire. Oxford.
Interests and Disciplines
Major Field: General Natural History
Subfields: Ornithology, Phenology, Botany
Principal Publications
The natural history and antiquities of Selborne, in the county of Southampton: with engravings, and an appendix (London: B. White and Son, 1789).
A naturalist's calendar, with observations in various branches of natural history; extracted from the papers of the Late Rev. Gilbert White, M. A. of Selborne, Hampshire, senior fellow of Oriel College, Oxford (London: B. and J. White, 1795).
The Journals of Gilbert White, 1754-1793, ed Francesca Greenoak, 3 vols (London: Century Hutchinson, 1986-89).
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
Following the link below will search for articles by Gilbert White in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, but may return no results (if White did not publish anything in the Philosophical Transactions) or may return a result for another person with the same name. If this link returns unexpected results, use the Advanced Search option on the Philosophical Transactions website to retry the search.
Search for Gilbert White in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
Standard Online Sources
Clicking on the name or ID number below will take you to the relevant page on the website mentioned. If there is a dash, then White is not mentioned in that resource. Some resources may require a log in. Access to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: can generally be obtained for UK users by using your public library membership number.
Biodiversity Heritage Library Creator Number: 9572
Clergy of the Church of England Database (1540-1835) Person ID: 38531
Herbaria@Home Collector Number: -
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Gilbert White
Wikipedia: Gilbert White
Standard Printed Sources
These are the standard sources consulted when preparing this dataset. If White is mentioned, there will be a page number, or, if not mentioned, a dash.
Armstrong, English Parson Naturalist: 1-2, 3, 10, 11, 17, 65-67, 80, 83-87, 96, 166, 175
Bridson, History of Natural History, a Bibliography, 2nd edn: B23, B3061-3069, N915
Desmond, Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists, 2nd edn: 734
Henrey, British Botanical and Horticultural Literature Before 1800: Vol. 2, p. 301
Other Printed Sources:
Rashleigh Holt White, The Life and Letters of Gilbert White of Selborne. Written and edited by his great-grand nephew R. Holt White, 2 vols. (London: John Murray, 1901).
Richard Mabey, Gilbert White: A Biography of the Author of The Natural History of Selborne (1986) new edn (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2006)
Paul G.M. Foster, Gilbert White and his Records: A Scientific Biography (London: Christopher Helm, 1988).
Coulson, Louis, To Edify and Delight: Introducing the Sermons of Gilbert White of Selborne (Chichester: University of Chichester Press, 2011).
Archives and Holdings
Major Holdings of Manuscripts and/or Printed Texts: Mss other papers at the Library of the Linnean Society of London, The British Library, London, The Gilbert White and Oates Collections, Selborne, Hampshire, UK, and the Houghton Library, Harvard University, Boston, MA.
Major Holdings of Biological Collections:
Notes: Gilbert's brothers John (1792-80) and Henry (1733-1788) were also clergymen with interests in natural history.
Record Created: 1/1/2023
Gilbert White and his Contexts: An International Conference, June 2025
Funded by:
